About the IIE India office
The Institute of International Education (IIE) India has been engaged with higher education in India for over 60 years and has had an office in New Delhi, since 2005. Working closely with corporate foundations, governments and non-governmental organisations in the region, IIE has developed and implemented a strong set of activities in higher education scholarship administration, leadership development, and critical development fields such as health, with special focus on youth and women.
IIE New Delhi administers programs including the Ford Foundation’s Global Travel and Learning Fund, GE Foundation’s Scholar-Leaders Program, Maternal Health Young Champions Program, Cargill Global Scholars Program, Rolex Awards for Enterprise Laureates Programme, Avery Dennison Foundation InvEnt Scholarship Program, and The Rockefeller Foundation’s residency program at Bellagio Centre. In the recent past, the office also helped administer the David and Lucille Packard Foundation’s Leadership Development Mechanism which fostered leadership development for reproductive health professionals in India.
1997 – 2000: Setting the Foundation
IIE began its work in India implementing an energy project for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) focused on capacity building for improving energy conservation and efficiency, including distribution reforms. After the success of the first program, IIE expanded its work in India by launching the GE Foundation Scholar – Leaders Program on behalf of the GE Foundation. The Program initially provided traditional financial support for university education, but gradually developed into a Leadership Development Program to complement the student’s academic program. It continues to grow and holds an outstanding achievement record.
2001 – 2005: Expanding Horizons
With the beginning of a new millennia and revolutionary ideas, the Leadership Development for Mobilizing Reproductive Health Program (LDM) began operations in India. LDM India aimed to build and sustain a critical core of well-trained emerging and established leaders who have the vision, commitment, knowledge and skills to improve the delivery of family planning and reproductive health services.
During this time, IIE’s India office also began administering the Ford Foundation’s Global Travel and Learning Fund (GTLF) India Region Program. GTLF assists the Ford Foundation in promoting greater cross-regional learning and exchange among grantees working in diverse sectors and world regions.
In 2005, IIE launched the Goldman Sachs Global Leaders Program to support the next generation of leaders with the skills and networks they would need to thrive in the 21st century.
2006 – 2010: Carving an Inch on the History Plank
This time period marked the introduction of many new programs for the IIE/India team. These included the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) Program, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Program, Bellagio Residency Program outreach, the Ford Foundation Research Project on Affirmative Action in Higher Education in India and the Education Without Borders Project. We continued our important work in Indian by providing outreach for the Rolex Young Laureates Program, the New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) Program, the Research Grants Council (RGC) Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Program and the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation Conference/Workshop Project. In 2009, IIE/India signed an MOU with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) to promote educational and training exchanges between the U.S and India.
The India office also coordinated the U.S. University Presidents’ Delegation visit to India in 2010. This delegation was led by IIE President & CEO along with the Under Secretary of Education, U.S. Department of Education. In November 2010, IIE/India hosted another delegation of U.S Universities, as part of the Fund for the Improvement of Post secondary Education (FIPSE) Program.
2011 and beyond: In pace with the ‘Global Village’
The Avery Dennison Foundation Spirit of Invention (InvEnt) Scholarship Program was launched in India in 2011. It is a merit based scholarship designed to recognize and reward invention, innovation and excellence in high-achieving students studying in the fields of science, engineering and technology at selected higher education institutions in India.
After a successful decade of implementation, the LDM program came to an end in May 2011. IIE/India participated in the intensive global evaluation of the Leadership Program.
In February 2012, IIE/India office coordinated the study tour of the International Academic Partnership Program (IAPP) Delegation to India. IIE’s India office also witnessed the constitution and inaugural meeting of the India Advisory Group.
In October 2012, IIE launched the Maternal Health Young Champions (MHYC) Program in Indian. MHYC is supported by the Maternal Health Task Force at the Harvard School of Public Health and aims to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity by cultivating a cadre of emerging public health leaders equipped with the skills, vision and long-term commitment to improve maternal health worldwide. At the same time, IIE/India began to support the expansion of the U.S. Community College Model in India, on behalf of the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi. In November 2012, IIE/India also organized The Rolex Leadership Forum to celebrate the 2012 Rolex Awards for Enterprise Laureates and began our administration of the Cargill Global Scholars Program in India that same year.
Since its existence, IIE/India has been working to enhance capacities of individuals and organizations, with a special focus on youth and women, to meet local and global challenges.